Governor for marine engines.



No. 839,644, PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

W. H. RICHARDSON & F. L. WOODS. GOVERNOR FOR MARINE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.8,1905.

mrvzegs THE NORRIS PETERS cc., wAsnuIvcwN. n. c.

NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLI'AM HENRY RICHARDSON, OF THEBARTON, AND FREDERICK LIND- SAY WOODS,OF BROMPTON, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

GOVERNOR FOR MARINE ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed August 8, 1905. Serial No. 273,272.

To aZZ whom, it Wtay concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HENRY RICHARDSON, residing at Georgestreet, Thebarton, and FREDERICK LINDSAY VVOODs, residing at Eaststreet, Brompton, in the State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, subjects of the King of Great Britain, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Regulators for Gravitation- Governorsfor Marine Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to automatic governors for marine engines, andmore particularly to a regulator for governing the movement of thependulum-weight in governors of the gravitation type.

In gravitation-governors for marine engines as at present devised themovement of the vessel causes an immediate adjustment of thethrottle-valve; but it has been found in practice that the continualvariation of the valve has resulted in loss of efficiency, owing tothefrequency with which the steam is cut off while the propeller isstill doing useful work in the water.

The object of our invention-is to so regulate the movement of apendulum-weight that it only becomes effective when the vessel exceeds apredetermined angle of inclination or'pitch, the object of theinventionbeing attamed by a secondary weight-gear and a system of lOGlGII andreleasing levers which control-the main weight.

I/Ve will now proceed to describe our invention by aid of theaccompanying illustrations, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe improved governor, the parts being shown slightly in perspective.Fig. 2 is a part side view of same and is likewise in perspective.

In both-illustrations similarletters of reference are used to denotesimilar or correspond ing parts wherever they occur.

WVe will first describe the principal features already known inpendulumgovernors. In this respect, a is a foundatiomplate, to which thestandards I) are fastened, upon the upper end of which standards mainbearings c are provided and are fitted with suitable lubricators d.

e is the trunnion, the ends of which are set in the main bearings c. Thetrunnion supports the weight-carriers f, upon which the pendulum weightor weights 9 are mounted.

h is a cross-arm rigidly fastened to the trunnion, on one end of whichthe counterpoise-weight j is fastened, the opposite end being connected,by means of the main connecting-rod is, to an oscillating valve-lever Z,which in turn is connected by anyconvenient means to an engine valve orthrottle. (Not shown in the illustrations.)

The foregoing several parts or modifications thereof are already wellknown in connection with gravitation-governors for marine engines.

Coming now more particularly to the details of our present invention, weprovide a Weighted regnlator-lever m, which is mounted on a bearing aand is free to move backward and forward within a guide 0, above which agraduated quadrant p is arranged, the end of the regulator-leverterminating with a pointer or index-finger which lies adjacent to thegraduations on the quadrant.

q is an adjustment-screw, the end of which, either with or without aterminal block, affords a ready means for adjusting the position of theregulator-lever and limiting its travel, thereby allowing it to be setin a more or less vertical position, according to requirements. ries theweighted regulator-lever a doubleended lever 1 is rigidly fastened, butis capable of being set at any convenient angle. The upper end of thelever is designed to engage with a locking-pawl or trigger s, whichfalls by gravitation or may be spring-governed. On the lower end of thelever a rollerbearing 01 its equivalent is mounted and is set in such aposition that it engages the triplever i, to which a smallconnecting-rod u is fastened. This connecting-r0d is attached. to a mainlocking-pawl 'U, which is designed to engage asuitable catch w, mountedupon the main weight 9, above mentioned. The main lo cking-pawl o ismounted upon a fixed portion of the frame, as also is the trip'lever' tand the weighted regulator-lever m; but. the locking-pawl s is mountedupon the swinging weight-carrier f and moves in unison with the mainweight. For convenience of explanation the movement of the main weightis referred to figuratively, but actu- Upon the shaft which carally itis the fixed portions of the appliance-- which move in unison with thevessel, the

main weight when disengaged being always stationary and in a verticalposition, as will be well understood.

The operation of our invention is as follows Under ordinarycircumstances the main weight, following the laws of gravitation, wouldrelatively swing forward in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1when the vessel pitches forward, although actually the weight remainsvertical and the other portions are out of plumb, as above mentioned,but according to our invention is retained in relatively verticalposition by the main loclc. ing-pawl [2 until the pitch of the vesselreaches such an angle that the weighted regulatorlever m travels bygravitation across the dead-center of the guide 0 in the direction of 0the adjacent arrow-head. This movement of the weighted regulator-leverresults in a corresponding movement. of the doubleended lever 1", thelower end of which then impinges upon the trip-lever t and causes thefree end of same to be deflected downward,

thus forcing the small connecting-rod u upward, so that said rod in turnlifts the main locking-pawl '0, thereby disengaging the mainweight andallowing it to assume a vertical 3 position by gravitationthat is tosay, it becomes relatively out of plumb with the other parts, aspreviously indicated. Dur ing the movement of the weight the upperportion of the double-ended lever 1* glides 3 5 without interferencealong the under side of the locking-pawl s but as soon as the weightnormally begins to recede to its original position (actually the weightdoes not move) the upper end of the double-ended lever 4 comes intocontact with the locking-pawl s, which is raised by means ofthe tailportion, which comes into contact with a fixed bar adjacent thereto, andcontinuing its relative traverse pulls the weighted-regulator-lever backagain to its'former position across the dead-center of the guide-bar andsimultaneously causes the pressure to be released from the outer end ofthe trip-lever if, so that the connecting-rod and main locking-pawlagain fall downward to theiroriginal position, at the same time engagingthe catch '11), which looks the main weight.

From the foregoing descriptive matter it will readily be understood thatno displace- 5 5 ment of the main weight can take place until the pitchof the vessel is sufficient to throw the weighted regulator-lever acrossthe dead-cen- -ter line of gravitation, and it is only after this hasbeen done that the main weight becomes free, and operating upon thecross-arm, main connecting-rod, and other levers connected with anengine-valve, that the regulation of the steam can take place, and itwill likewise be seen that the position or set of the weighted regulatorlever can be adjusted by the adjustment-screw g to suit the requirementsof each case, it being possible to afford a very delicate adjustment bysetting the regulatorlever in an almost vertical position, so that avery slight movement will throw it across the dead-center, or byallowing it to lie at a greater angle, so that a greater pitch of thevessel will be necessary to move it.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our saidinvention and the manner in which it is to be performed, we declare thatwhat we claim is 1. In automatic governors for marine engines a weightedregulator-lever mounted upon a fixed portion of the frame, a doubleended lever connected therewith, a lockingpawl attached to a portion ofthe mechanism which moves in unison with a pendulumweight, saidlocking-pawl being arranged to engage the upper portion of thedouble-ended lever, a trip-lever pivotally mounted to .a fixed portionof the frame so that it may be operated. by the lower portion of thedoubleended lever, a small connecting-rod attached to the outer end ofthe trip-lever and a main locking-pawl connected therewith saidlocking-pawl being arranged to engage with a catch connected with thependulum-weight so that said pendulum-weight may be released by theoperation of the regulator-lever or engaged by the combined action ofthe pendulum-weight and locking-lever gear substantially as described.

2. In automatic governors for marine en.- gines a graduated quadrant, anadjustmentscrew and a guide-plate arranged in combination with aweighted regulator-lever for setting or adjusting the angle ofinclination or pitch at which it is desired that the regulator-levershall become operative.

8. In automatic governors for marine engines a regulator-lever, anadjustment-screw a cross-lever and a locking-pawl, a trip-lever,connecting-rod and. main locking-pawl in combination with apendulum-weight having a locking-catch thereon, a cross-arm, mainconnecting-rod and valve-lever arranged together substantially asspecified as a combination of parts.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY RICHARDSON. FREDERICK LINDSAY WOODS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES ANDREW MURPHY, JOHN HERBERT 000K.

